Around the World Unit Final Day!

Yesterday was our last day in our Around the World Unit! We had a lot of fun but S was especially sad that it was the last day. He had to make sure we'd still learn more at home even if we weren't doing anymore in co-op! Who could say no to that?!

The main focus this week was Asia and Australia. Specifically, we covered Japan, India, Korea, and Australia. In our whole group activity the kids learned how to count to 10 in Japanese, as well as how to say hello and to name the members of their families.

In Japan the kids got put together the flag puzzle while learning some fun facts about the country. They saw where Japan was on a map and learned basic cultural info. They learned about kokeshi and daruma dolls, made some origami animals and samurai hats, read some manga, and watched part of an anime too. It was Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki, just in case anyone was curious. I also brought some sushi sandwiches, pocky and some white rabbit candies for the kids to eat. The white rabbit candies are actually Chinese, but I grew up on them and they are tasty so I wanted to share with the kids!

In India the kids learned about the culture, watched some video clips, listened to some music, and got their faces painted. The girls looked very beautiful with their faces painted while wearing a sari. S chose a less than authentic face painting; He wanted to be a blue tiger! The kids also did a bit of yoga and had some yummy food. It was really cute to see them doing stretches! They also had the option to color some pictures of an Indian boy and girl.

 

In Korea they learned the culture and looked at a map to see where it is located. They also learned about and colored the flags for both North and South Korea. Korea also provided some music and video clips. They learned how to do some fan dancing too, which I am told was adorable but Z wouldn't perform for me! The kids had the option to color and make a paper doll as well. I think the snack was Hotteok (you can see it in the pictures), which is a very delicious pancake filled with a sweet syrup. In this case I think it was brown sugar and cinnamon or something equally good!

In Australia the kids got to do some more map work. There were also fun animal fact cards for them to do with a Tag reader pen, and several books full of great illustrations and facts about different places in Australia. The kids got to taste another yummy snack, played a didgeridoo, and used stencils to paint a kangaroo picture. It was all very fun stuff, especially playing the didgeridoo! They also made koala masks, which were very cute! Both boys loved pretending to be Koalas once they got home.

Overall, this was a great unit and all of the kids had a lot of fun learning about all of the different countries that we covered. I think the only downside to this unit is that now S thinks I know how to speak in way more languages than I actually can! For the last few weeks he has asked me how to say whatever he can think of in any of the languages he has been introduced to during the unit. We may have to plan for some Rosetta Stone style family time! I'll just add that to my ever-growing to-do list.

Next week is going to be super busy, including our end of the year party! I also have to find time to take pictures of all the kids and get down to business finishing up the yearbook for this co-op year. I just hope it turns out as well as, if not better than, the one I created last year! Wish me luck!

Around the World: Africa & Egypt

This past week, the co-op ventured into Africa and Egypt in our Around the World Unit. The three stops were South Africa, Nigeria, and Egypt. I didn't have a country this week because I had to leave early so I was on photographer and baby duty!

South Africa

In South Africa the kids watched some videos, listened to music, and read some books about South Africa. Then they could complete an animal puzzle and make a beaded necklace. They also got a snack of beef jerky and some dried fruit.

Egypt

Tasty!

In Egypt the kids learned some fun facts, listened to music, and did some map work with the Tag reader pen. After that they built a pyramid out of rice crispy treats! There was another food item that they could try, which was delicious! Unfortunately, I don't remember what it was called so here is a picture so you can see how good it was!

Nigeria

Nigeria held some fun times for the kids too. They learned the basics about the flag, map, and animals in the region. Then they were able to watch an African drumming video as well as playing some music of their own. They also learned about how cowrie shells were used for currency, which S thought was great! Then they got to enjoy some baked bananas. I didn't hear any objections to this treat!

Drumming to his own beat.

Never one to complain about food!

This week was also the week that the littles completed their lowercase alphabet letters! They made some Z zebras, which I think turned out adorable! Since Z really liked making all of the lowercase letters I think in the upcoming school year he'll be making the uppercase versions.

Our last week with this co-op is coming up fast! Next week we'll be venturing into Asia and Australia. I'll be covering Japan, while the other moms cover India, Korea, and Australia. I know someone is probably wondering why China wasn't included but that's because we did a 2 week Chinese New Year/ Culture Unit last year and covered a lot! Anyway, we're looking forward to it and S got his books from the library to show his friends some manga. He's pretty excited about it.

Since this will be out last week, we'll be having an end of the year party soon. S and Z are going to miss learning with these friends, but life always throws new paths for people to follow. We'll still see everyone at play dates and field trips, just no weekly meet-ups. In the coming year we'll be joining a new group of friends to learn with and I am looking forward to seeing where this new path leads us on our homeschooling journey.

Our next few weeks are packed full of fun stuff, including playdates, field trips, science explorations, and a spelling bee. S is very excited about all of it and I'm sure Z will be once we're in the moment. It's always a full schedule here!

Legoland!

We went on our Legoland field trip this week and it was a lot of fun! S was in awe of all of the Lego creations. I'll admit they were pretty amazing! This was a perfect way to end out Lego Unit and I'm glad we went.

Before going on Coastersaurus

Jr. Driving School

 S really loved that he got to go on a bunch of rides. His favorites were the Dragon Coaster in the LEGO Kingdoms area, and the Coastersaurus in the Land of Adventure area. He loved the Jr Driving School because he got to drive a car around a mini track all by himself. He also liked watching all of the little things moving in Miniland USA.

Z was pretty limited for rides, as they are definitely strict on height requirements. I found that very disappointing since Z can ride things at Sea World and Disney that are on the same level as the Legoland rides. Needless to say, he was a very unhappy boy when he wasn't able to participate. He did enjoy DUPLO Village, Miniland USA, and the carousel in Fun Town though so it wasn't a completely bad day for him.

They're the same size!

DUPLO Village is a couple playgrounds for the little kids to play in so it was a good spot for Z to get out any energy he had from not being able to do much else. Miniland USA was probably one of my favorite areas just because there was so much to see. The buildings, ships, people, cars, and everything for the different areas were great, and there were buttons randomly placed around the areas that could make different things happen. The boys both loved the pirate ships the best, and S really liked the Daytona race track. One other place we all loved was Cypress Gardens. I love that Legoland kept some of the Gardens when they built everything. Banyan trees are just so amazing!

Banyan tree planted in 1939!

I will say though, that we won't be going back until both boys are older, and I won't go again without another adult present. Many of the rides are not friendly to parents who are outnumbered by their children, especially if those children are under the height required to be able to ride alone. When there was a ride that S wanted to go on but Z couldn't I had to rely on some friends (who were absolutely wonderful!) to either watch Z while I went on with S or to go with S in my place. Also, most of the rides are 2 seaters so that was a tad annoying when figuring out what we could and could not go on. It just wasn't as little kid friendly as I had hoped it would be so it looks like we'll be sticking to Sea World and Disney for a while. Not that I mind that, of course! One other thing that our group noticed was that there weren't that many indoor eateries, which would have been wonderful on a hot day. We chose the place that sold panini, which were very good, and it was nice to sit in the shade but AC would have been lovely after all the walking around we did!

Chillin'

Roar!

Overall, the park was great but definitely geared more toward children who are at least 4 and up (or a tall 3). S had nothing but great things to say about our field trip because everything was made of Legos, and I'm very glad he enjoyed the day.

Here is the link to LEGOLAND Florida if anyone is interested in visiting.